The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation (UAEJJF) announced that the 2016-2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam tour will begin in Los Angeles in September, with a two-day gi and no-gi tournament. 

Confirmed to compete in the first leg of the tour, which will later travel to the cities Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Abu Dhabi and London, are world-class competitors including: 

• Mackenzie Dern 
  
• Marcio Andre 
  
• Erberth Santos 
  
• Paulo Miyao 
  
• Ricardo Evangelista 
  
• …and more 
  

A record $104,800 will be awarded in cash prizes. All podium places will receive a cash prize, ranging from blue ($500 for gold) to black belt ($2000 and a ticket to Abu Dhabi for the Grand Slam in January). 

The open gi and no-gi tournament will feature athletes representing all ranks from white to black belt and is open for registration. 

The gi divisions will run on Saturday September 3, and the no-gi part of the competition will occur on Sunday September 4. 

The entire tournament will be live streamed on FloGrappling, with matches uploaded to our archives following the event. 

The 2016-2017 Ranking Season

The Grand Slam is an important event for competitors to get substantial points for the UAEJJF ranking. 

Gold medallists will get 200 points, while second and third-placed athletes will receive 160 and 120 points respectively. 

Last year, Erberth Santos was the top ranked male black belt, narrowly beating Ricardo Evangelista, while Paulo Miyao placed third.

The prize for top ranked athlete for the 2015-2016 season was $25,000, with second place getting $10,000 and third getting $5,000. 

Changes to UAEJJF Rules For The New Season

As we explained earlier this month, the UAEJJF implemented changes to their rules that has seen the end of the absolute (openweight) division at the annual Abu Dhabi World Pro Grand Slam events.